Dice Game and Method for Playing the Dice Game

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a fast-playing dice game that encourages strategic interaction between players. A plurality of players play the dice game that includes a plurality of dice with at least six sides representative of a plurality of characters, wherein at least two sides of each die show one or more abilities of an individual character of the plurality of characters, and a plurality of counters. Each player strategically matches a die against an opponent&#39;s die, resulting in a knock-out or being spent. The player with the last die or dice that has not been knocked out wins.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OR PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a dice game and, more particularly, to a fast-playing dice game in which players strategically use the abilities displayed on rolled dice to defeat individual dice of their opponents.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many variations of dice games are known. Many dice games such as Yahtzee are fast-playing but do not encourage interaction between players and involve little strategy. In some instances, dice are used to facilitate role-playing games (e.g. Dungeons and Dragons, Shadowrun, etc.) that may require strategic thought. However, many of these games take a long time to play and players must wait for a long period of time between their turns. Although such games are popular, they are not suitable for casual games or in circumstances with limited time available for playing.

There exists a need for a fast-played dice game that allows players to strategically use their dice to interact with other players.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a fast-playing dice game that encourages strategic interaction between players. The dice game may include a plurality of dice with at least six sides wherein an individual die is representative of one of a plurality of characters and a plurality of counters wherein the plurality of counters are not used for scorekeeping. Each of the plurality of dice may have symbols on at least two of its sides that indicate one or more abilities of an individual character of the plurality of characters.

In another embodiment, the dice game may also include a gaming surface including at least three zones such as a skirmish zone, a knock-out zone, and a spent zone.

The method for playing the dice game may include each player selecting at least two dice representative of one or more characters; each player receiving at least one counter; determining an active player; each player rolling their dice to display an ability for each character represented by the dice; pairing, by the active player, one of their dice to one of an opposing player's dice; determining an outcome of the pairing based on the abilities displayed on the paired dice wherein the outcome for each of the paired dice is either spent or knocked out; continuing play by allowing each player to have a turn as the active player who does the pairing; and repeating the rolling and pairing until a winner is determined by being the last player with a die or dice not knocked out.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of the dice;

FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of characters and their abilities which may be depicted on sides of dice;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an embodiment of a gaming surface for the dice game; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method of playing the dice game.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a fast-playing dice game in which individual dice represent characters with abilities indicated on the sides of the individual dice. The dice game includes multiple dice wherein each die represents one of a plurality of characters. This differs from known role-playing dice games in which dice are used to determine how successful a particular ability of a single character may be. Additionally, the present invention is designed to allow fast, strategic play.

The present invention is a dice game including multiple dice having at least six sides. Each die is representative of a particular character. In an embodiment, each die would represent one of either a warrior, a mage, a rogue, or a healer. The character represented by the die could be shown in multiple ways including, by way of example and not limitation, the color of the die, size of the die, shape of the die, or other indicator imprinted on the die. Each character has a particular set of abilities which are indicated by symbols or icons on the sides of the representative die. As an example, FIG. 1 shows four six-sided dice, a warrior 10, a mage 12, a rogue 14, and a healer 16 with individual abilities shown on the sides. This figure is not meant to be limiting; other characters, abilities, and dice shapes and sizes are included in the scope of this invention. In particular, dice with more than six sides are contemplated and dice may have more than one ability depicted on an individual side. Furthermore, one or more sides of an individual die may be blank (i.e., have no ability depicted thereon).

FIG. 2 depicts exemplary symbols that may be imprinted on the sides of the dice to indicate abilities. By way of example and not limitation, abilities may include a sword attack 19, axe attack 20, war hammer attack 21, bow attack 22, shield defense 23, bolt attack 24, fireball attack 25, magic shield 26, poison dagger 27, steal 28, or heal 29. Some abilities would be only on sides of dice representing a particular character, for example only a warrior die would have sword attack 19, axe attack 20, war hammer attack 25, and bow attack 22. Only a mage would have bolt attack 24, fireball attack 25, and magic shield 26. Only a healer would have heal 29. Only a rogue would have steal 28 and poison dagger 27. Other abilities, such as shield defense 23, could be on dice representing different characters, such as warrior, healer, and rogue. The abilities and characters depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 are meant as examples and not limitation. The abilities depicted on the sides of an individual die would be abilities commonly associated with the character represented by the die.

The present invention may also include counters, such as small plastic disks, and a gaming surface. The counters would be used by players to determine order of play and/or to allow re-rolling of a die. An example of the gaming surface 30 is illustrated in FIG. 3. In this example, the gaming surface 30 is designed for four players, whose playing areas are indicated with the suffixes A, B, C, and D. This example is not meant to be limiting. This dice game is meant for two or more players with no limitations. On this gaming surface 30, each player has a skirmish zone 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D where the players roll their dice. When the game is played, the rolled dice are strategically paired against the dice of other players and, depending on the outcome, the paired die is sent to the players' spent zone 34A, 34B, 34C, and 34D or the players' knock-out zone 36A, 36B, 36C, and 36D.

An embodiment of a method for playing this dice game is illustrated in FIG. 4. The game begins at operation 40, where each player selects their dice and receives counters. Each player should begin the game with the same quantity of dice and the same quantity of counters; the quantity of dice need not be equal to the quantity of counters. In one embodiment, each player would select the same quantity of dice representing a given character; by way of example and not limitation, each player may initially select four warrior dice, two mage dice, one rogue die, and one healer die. In another embodiment, the players may select any dice representing the characters of their choice, so long as all players have the same total quantity of dice. In yet another embodiment, the players may select dice at random, so long as all players have the same total quantity of dice.

A round of the game begins at operation 41, where the player with initiative is determined. This player will be the first active player. The method of determining initiative may vary. If the players have different quantities of counters, the player with the most counters has initiative. If two or more players have the same quantity of counters, as they will in the first round of the game, other methods may be used such as coin flipping, rock-paper-scissors, and the like. The player with initiative pays one counter, thereby reducing their total quantity of counters and the likelihood of being the player with initiative in the next round.

After initiative has been determined, all players roll their dice (operation 42) in their respective skirmish zone (example shown in FIG. 3, 32A-D). In the first round, all players roll all of their dice. After the first round, only dice that have not been knocked-out (placed in the knock-out zone such as FIG. 3, 36A-D) are rolled. When the dice are rolled, the top-most side indicates the ability that the character represented by the die may use in the current round.

At operation 43, the active player pairs one of their dice against an opponent's die. In another embodiment, before the active player pairs dice at operation 43, the active player may choose to pay one counter to re-roll any one of their dice before pairing any of the dice. The pairing is done strategically based on the abilities shown on the dice.

At operation 44, the outcome of the pairing is determined. The active player's die is considered to be “attacking” while the opponent's die is “defending.” The outcome for each die of the paired dice is either “spent” or “knocked-out”. A spent die is put into the spent zone (for example, 34A-D of FIG. 3) which means it cannot be used again in the current round but can be rolled again in the next round. A knocked-out die is put into the knock-out zone (for example, 36A-D of FIG. 3) which means it cannot be used for the remainder of the game unless “healed”, as will be explained below.

The outcome of the pairing is based on the abilities shown on the paired dice and whether a die is attacking (the active player's die) or defending (the opponent's die). In an embodiment wherein the dice represent characters including warriors, mages, rogues, and healers with the abilities depicted in FIG. 2, examples of possible outcomes include:

-   -   SWORD: Warrior; standard melee attack. Defeats Axe, loses to         Hammer, mutual knock-out (KO) to another Sword, whether pairing         or defending. Defeats any ranged or magic attack when pairing,         but is defeated if defending.     -   AXE: Warrior; standard melee attack. Defeats Hammer, loses to         Sword, mutual KO to another Axe, whether pairing or defending.         Defeats any ranged or magic attack when pairing, but is defeated         if defending.     -   HAMMER: Warrior; standard melee attack. Defeats Sword, loses to         Axe, mutual KO to another Hammer, whether pairing or defending.         Defeats any ranged or magic attack when pairing, but is defeated         if defending.     -   BOW: Warrior: standard range attack. With exception of Standard         Shield, defeats any die when pairing. When defending, is         defeated to any attack but defeats any other non-Standard Shield         die.     -   BOLT: Mage; magic range attack. With exception of bolt or magic         shield, defeats any die when pairing. When defending, is         defeated to any attack (except bolt) but defeats any other die.         Negates/cancels another bolt attack, whether pairing or         defending (both dice are spent).     -   FIREBALL: Mage; magic range attack. With exception of fireball         or magic shield, defeats any die when pairing. When defending,         is defeated to any attack (except fireball) but defeats any         other die. Negates/cancels another fireball attack, whether         pairing or defending (both dice are spent).     -   POISON DAGGER: Rogue; special attack. Defeats any die when         pairing. Loses to any attack on defense, but will defeat any         other die on defense, including any shields or abilities     -   STANDARD SHIELD: Warrior, rogue, healer; protects your die and         negates any standard attack. Standard shields will negate         standard attacks, whether pairing of defending (both die are set         aside in the spent pile). Note that magic or special attacks,         whether attacking or defending, will defeat a shield (die with         shield will be in the KO pile while the magical/special attack         die will be placed in spent pile).     -   MAGIC SHIELD: Mage; similar to standard shields, with the         exception that they negate magic attacks. They negate magic         attacks, whether pairing or defending (both die are set aside in         the spent pile) and will be defeated by standard or specials         attacks (whether active or defending).     -   STEAL: Rogue; Special Ability (not an attack nor a shield         defense). After pairing to an opposing, non-attack die, take one         of the opponent's counters and add it to your pile. In this         case, both dice are spent. If paired against an attack steal         will always lose, no matter which way it is paired, and the         rogue cannot take a counter.     -   HEAL: Healer; Special Ability (not an attack or a shield         defense). After pairing to an opposing, non-attack die, the         active player takes one die out of the knock-out zone and places         it in the spent zone; that die will be rolled in the next round.         In this case, both paired dice are spent (set aside). If paired         against an attack heal will always lose, no matter which way it         is paired, and the healing will not occur.     -   PRONE (Blank side of die): all characters; if a die is rolled         and the result is blank, the die is prone to any attack, whether         active or defending. Prone die can still pair with non-attack         die to survive to fight (roll) in the next round. A prone die         can be useful by pairing it to an opposing die with an ability         such as steal or heal to ensure your opponent does not get the         chance to use it.

Defeated dice are placed in the knock-out zone (for example, FIG. 3, 36A-D); all other paired dice are placed in the spent zone (for example, FIG. 3, 34A-D).

Although the list above attributes specific abilities to specific characters, this is not meant to be limiting. Other characters and abilities are contemplated for this game. Moreover, the abilities listed above are not considered to be exclusive to the characters herein listed; these abilities may be assigned to any characters represented by any dice.

Once the outcome of the paired dice has been determined and they have been placed in the spent zone or the knock-out zone, operation 45 considers whether there are dice in the skirmish zone (for example, FIG. 3 32A-D) that belong to more than one player. If so, the next player becomes the active player and play continues at operation 43 with the new active player choosing to pay a counter to re-roll a blank die and/or pairing dice. Operations 43-45 continue until there are no more dice in the skirmish zone available to be paired.

Once all of the possible pairings in the current round have been done (meaning the answer to operation 45 is “No”), operation 46 considers how many players have dice that are not in the knock-out zone. If more than one player has dice that have not been knocked out, play returns to operation 41. Operations 41-46 are repeated, including the loop over operations 43-45, until only one player is left with at least one die that has not been knocked out. This player wins the game at operation 47.

Although the foregoing dice game and method for playing the dice game have been presented with specific examples and with steps taking place in a specific order, this is not meant to be limiting. Any combination of dice representing any combination of characters with any abilities falls within the scope of this invention. The example of the gaming surface is not meant to be limiting; any configuration using at least three zones to differentiate the dice that have not been paired, the dice that have been spent, and the dice that have been knocked out is within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the gaming surface need not have the zones visibly drawn as long as they are understood by the players. The method of playing the dice game may be altered as needed to help balance the strengths of the dice and to ensure fast play. 

What is claimed is: 1) A dice game, comprising: a. a plurality of dice with at least six sides wherein an individual die is representative of one of a plurality of characters; and b. a plurality of counters wherein the plurality of counters are not used for scorekeeping. 2) The dice game of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dice includes at least two dice representative of an individual character of the plurality of characters. 3) The dice game of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of dice has symbols on at least two of its sides that indicate one or more abilities of an individual character of the plurality of characters. 4) The dice game of claim 1, further comprising a gaming surface including at least three zones. 5) The dice game of claim 4 wherein the at least three zones include a skirmish zone, a knock-out zone, and a spent zone. 6) A method for a plurality of players to play a dice game including a plurality of dice with at least six sides representative of a plurality of characters, wherein at least two sides of each die show one or more abilities of an individual character of the plurality of characters, and a plurality of counters, comprising: a. each player selecting at least two dice representative of one or more characters; b. each player receiving at least one counter; c. determining an active player; d. each player rolling their dice to display an ability for each character represented by the dice; e. pairing, by the active player, one of their dice to one of an opposing player's dice; f. determining an outcome of the pairing based on the abilities displayed on the paired dice; g. continuing play by allowing each player to have a turn as the active player performing steps e and f; h. repeating steps c-g until a winner is determined. 7) The method of claim 6, wherein the determining the active player is done by determining the player with a highest number of counters. 8) The method of claim 7, wherein two or more players having an equal highest number of counters participate in an alternate determination method based on chance. 9) The method of claim 6, wherein the outcome is one of spent or knocked-out. 10) The method of claim 9, wherein the repeating of steps c-g continues until all of the dice of all but one of the plurality of players has been knocked-out and wherein the one of the plurality of players who has at least one die that has not been knocked-out is determined to be the winner. 11) The method of claim 6, further comprising buying, by the active player, a re-roll of any of the dice prior to the pairing, wherein the buying is done by paying one or more of the counters. 